A cool, pure aura surged through his limbs and torso. He felt light-headed, as if his spirit had shed the limitations of its mortal shell, following the pristine moonlight as it left the ground and flew toward the full moon hanging in the night sky.
Soaring past the atmosphere, Mo Bai's vision suddenly opened up to a panorama of twinkling stars.
The silent universe was awakened. Countless unknown, fish-like creatures appeared from the distance, carrying Mo Bai on a continued procession toward the moon.
As the distance closed, Mo Bai saw a magnificent cluster of buildings on the lunar surface.
The city, built from white jade, was majestic and sacred. Along its streets, celestial beings rode flying swords, as free and easy as the wind.
Mo Bai was entranced by the sight, but then he heard a laugh like tinkling silver bells from behind him.
He turned to see a luxuriously dressed young woman covering her mouth with her long sleeve, chuckling softly. Then, she reached out, took his hand, and they sped off toward the white jade city.
"..."
The illusion ended. No one at the dining table spoke.
Everyone seemed to be immersed in the shock of having personally witnessed the White Jade Capital, the abode of celestial beings. Mo Bai even began to wonder if such a scene actually existed on the moon.
The very thought startled Mo Bai.
It could manipulate the five senses, and it could even subvert common sense?
"Could it be that this guy's drugging skills are even better than mine?" Mo Bai's expression was as if he'd seen a ghost, but he didn't expect that Wang Yao was looking at him with the exact same expression. "What the hell! Old Wang, why are you looking at me like that?"
"Your Culinary Heart..." Wang Yao hesitated for a moment, unable to continue.
"Four years ago, there was a rumor circulating among chefs." The big, bald Colson put down his chopsticks, his head reflecting the blueish, ghostly light of the dish. He spoke with a mix of awe and melancholy. "A genius was born on that mysterious eastern continent. At the age of eighteen, he was promoted to Special-Grade Chef and turned the nearly bankrupt White Crane Tower into one of the top restaurants in the Hua nation."
"It was said that his eyes could replicate any dish with a single glance, his ears could reproduce a dish just by hearing it being made, his tongue could discern flavor changes in ingredients down to the millisecond, and his hands could determine the freshness of an ingredient with a single touch."
"Four of the five senses were god-like talents that other chefs could never hope to match, and it was expected that he would become a supreme, Dragon-level Chef before the age of forty."
"You must be the one he's talking about, right?" Colson took off his sunglasses. In front of a true master, he chose to behave like a junior.
"It's all just exaggerated praise from my peers, not to be taken seriously." Wang Yao's response made Mo Bai pick his jaw up off the floor.
Heh, isn't he just another cheater?
I have a cheat system too, am I proud of it?
"Scum!" 凸(艹皿艹 )
Seeing Mo Bai's raised middle finger, Wang Yao felt no shame at all; instead, he seemed proud. He put his hands behind his back, tilted his head up, and began to lecture: "Cuisine is about color, aroma, taste, form, intent, and nourishment."
"Leaving nourishment aside, of the other five—color, aroma, taste, form, and intent—three are related to vision: color, form, and intent."
"Your knife skills are not bad. You could totally pull off some flashy moves for show." As he spoke, a gratified expression appeared on Wang Yao's face, as if to say, 'Keep up the good work, young man.'
"Get lost!" 凸(艹皿艹 )凸
"Alright, alright, I'm going." Having been exposed, the smug Wang Yao, who was practically looking down his nose at Mo Bai, didn't argue.
"By the way, the flavor of the large fish in your shabu-shabu is too overpowering. If you want to improve it, you could use some smaller fish to complement the soup base and achieve a more integrated flavor." Wang Yao paused at the doorway. "For example, seasonal sardines would be a good choice."
"GET LOST!!!"
Wang Yao thought to himself that showing off and then making a run for it was just so damn exciting.
===
On the way back.
"Elder Han, once we're back in the Hua nation, I want you to send a trustworthy and capable trainee to protect him." Wang Yao, who had been silent in the passenger seat since getting in the car, suddenly spoke.
"Hm?" The old man narrowed his eyes. "Young Master, you seem to hold that young man in particularly high regard."
"Before, it was because of his temperament and the fact that we get along. But now—Elder Han, what did you think of that dish earlier?"
"Not bad. Comparable to the level you achieve when practicing in your spare time. If I were to rate it, I'd say it's at the level of an eight or nine-star pre-Special-Grade chef." The old man gave a precise evaluation.
"Correct. From the result, that's indeed the case. But... do you think I would use pre-Special-Grade strength in a playful competition against someone who isn't even star-certified, and whom I consider a friend?" Wang Yao lowered his head, lost in thought.
"What you mean to say is?" the old man said with a serious expression.
"The entire time, I only used Culinary Heart: Purification on the ice sculpture to purify the flavor of the sea bream fillets. However, after his seafood broth was poured over it, our two Culinary Hearts merged."
The old man slammed his foot on the brake, and the car's tires screeched, leaving two black marks on the road.
"Young Master, do you have any idea what you're saying?!" The old man could no longer maintain his poker face.
Never before had the Culinary Hearts of two different chefs been able to merge. If word of this got out, it would be enough to throw the entire culinary world of the Hua nation into an uproar.
Cooking skill was the numerical value that enhanced a dish; Culinary Heart was the value that amplified it.
In a match between chefs of comparable skill, victory often depended on the compatibility between the dish and their Culinary Heart, as well as the strength and counters of the Culinary Hearts themselves.
Culinary duels in the Hua nation did not forbid assistant chefs from cooking. If an assistant could help the main chef by merging another Culinary Heart into the dish, it would be nothing short of cheating.
The old man couldn't dare to imagine the kind of turmoil it would cause to the currently stable structure of the Hua nation's culinary world if such a thing were to happen.
"I originally thought his Culinary Heart was just for harmonizing flavors. I never imagined such a situation would occur."
The White Jade Capital, surrounded by a sea of stars...
If that dish hadn't been made by Wang Yao himself, he would never have believed the two elements could coexist.
It wasn't just a merger; it had reached a level of perfect harmony.
"I understand. As soon as I return to the Hua nation, I will immediately dispatch Ziyan to the Far East."
"There's no need to be that hasty. He's in the Far East, after all. Let's make the arrangements carefully."
"Yes, sir." The car slowly started moving again.
===
With Mo Bai and Wang Yao's dishes as the opening act, Harano Katsuya went so far as to use the bluefin tuna that had been frozen after yesterday's competition to present a full tuna banquet.
Amidst a cheerful atmosphere where host and guests were all satisfied, the party came to an end.
"Sardines, huh? Xiao Bai, what do you think?" Scorn was scorn, but Mo Bai still valued the opinions and suggestions of others.
It was a suggestion from a buddy with a God's Tongue; it would be a waste not to use it.
"It's worth a try."
"Then let's head to the Mental Time Chamber..."
"Ring ring ring, ring ring ring." The caller ID on his phone displayed: Daji ⑧.
"Hello? Daji, how is Uncle Wang?"
"The doctor said my dad has to cut back on strenuous activity. He probably won't be able to go out to sea and fish anymore."
Hearing Daji's dejected voice over the phone, Mo Bai's face turned cold and grim.
"...Does Uncle Wang know yet?"
"Yeah. Dad said you should just do your best in the competition."
"..." Mo Bai hung up. He understood what a devastating blow it would be for a fish shop owner who had poured half his life's work into his business to be told he could no longer personally go out to sea to fish.
"Xiao Bai, I've changed my mind." Mo Bai's fury blazed across the fields of his heart. "Tomorrow, I will make Yoshino Takashi utterly despair."
________________________________________
Get rewarded for helping with our community goals!
🎯 Reward for all: +1 bonus chapter at 50 Powerstones.
🚀 Tier Reward: Help us reach 20 members for +5 chapters on all stories!
👻 Join the crew by searching Ms. Medusa on (P). You know the spot! 😉